Remote controlling via iPhone, iPod and Android telephones will be introduced with the new MAGNA3 pumps.

You would not expect to see an Apple product as part of a pump producer’s product range. Nevertheless, this will soon become a reality as, in future, Grundfos customers will be able to purchase and iPod Touch for remote control communicate with future MAGNA3 circulator pumps.
Product Manager Henrik Frederiksen explains that a new trendsetting pump deserves a more up-to-date remote control than Grundfos R100, which has been used to date.

- Therefore a decision was made to develop something new, but instead of starting from scratch and developing our own remote control, we took as our starting point products that our customers may already have, because they may be used for other things too, he says.

Can be used with several pumps

The iPod Touch will be sold as part of a package solution that also includes a special cover for the iPod and electronic hardware that needs to be connected.

-With this, the customer is able to communicate with both existing and the new MAGNA3 pumps and other future Grundfos pumps. But this is not just a remote control – the customers may access the Internet and retrieve specifications, drawings, text and all the other information available in WebCAPS, Henrik Frederiksen explains.

The iPod package is one of three options in the remote control concept called Grundfos GO. If the customers already has an iPod or an iPhone, they may select only to purchase the electronic hardware. As soon as the hardware is connected, the customers will be asked whether he would like to download an app, and once it has been installed, the solution is ready for use. The third option is to purchase a solution for Android telephones. The solution consists of a separate electronic unit with a rechargeable battery, and it communicates with the telephone via a cordless Bluetooth connection.

The new solutions offer a quick overview of the pump’s condition. The green Grundfos Eye in the top right corner shows that the pump is running flawlessly. A yellow light indicates a warning, and if the light turns red, an error has occurred.